Cost of an Asphalt Driveway

Among the most popular road material for paving garage driveways in homes is asphalt. Not only is it durable, lasting 20 years or more if properly maintained, but its black color complements any home exterior. Topping off as icing on the cake is asphalt’s cost effectiveness and construction value that can actually increase your property’s resale value. But if you are planning to have your driveway asphalted, you need to hire an experienced and competent asphalt driveway contractor to get the results you have in mind. With its benefits, it certainly pays to get a good contractor who can install your asphalt driveway that can least for decades.

Calculating the Cost

Before embarking on asphalting your driveway, you need to get an indicative cost of the project, just like in any home improvement plan. Don’t start hiring the contractor with a ready estimate. Chances are you’d be locked into that price with only their word for the work as the cheapest around. Knowing the cost and what it takes to do it strengthens your bargaining position.

Asphalt is often priced by the ton and paving costs varies from state to state. In New England, the cost of asphalt drivewayranges from $110 to $130 per ton with little or no base preparation. Estimating the total tons you need is relatively simple, using the following equation:

Asphalt pavement tons = Square Yards of driveway to be paved X 0.057 X Pavement depth (inches)

Measure your driveway area in square yards giving a 10% allowance. The formula simply converts the volumetric measurement into a weight measure so you can multiply it with the tonnage price. So if you have 400 square yards of driveway space, using the equation: 400sq.yd x 0.0057 x 1inch yields 22.8 tons. Multiplying this with $120 per ton yields $2,736, which is the cost of the asphalt material you need.

That’s just the starting point. There’s also the cost of labor and you need to consider the following that affects the cost:

• Asphalt paving consists a mix stone and sand heated in a liquid asphalt cement. For the asphalt driveway to cure properly, the asphalt mix should be delivered to your residence while still hot.

• Asphalt driveways will often be as good as the base under them. A paving job consists of putting hot asphalt mix on top of the layer of sub base. If you plan to park heavy SUVs, pickups, RVs or boats in the driveway regularly, you should opt for full depth asphalt, typically three inches and two inches for lighter cars.

• Choose the type of asphalt. Pure asphalt is more expensive but lasts longer, while recycled asphalt is cheaper but does not wear as well as pure asphalt.

The key to a long lasting quality asphalt driveway is getting a good contractor. Just remember that a good asphalt paving contractor won’t be knocking at your door at your beck and call. You need to reserve their services which could take weeks. So plan ahead and while at it, get quotes from various contractors. It shouldn’t be difficult with the various online cost ofasphalt drivewaycalculators like here http://www.buildingjournal.com/asphalt-driveway-estimating.html. Once you have several quotes from various contractors, then it’s often just a matter of shortlisitng and asking about their reputation or giving each a call before making your decision.